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The Amish Voice 11

The devil can, however, get to places in a hurry. In Job 1:6-7,

we learn that Satan can go from earth to heaven (v. 6) and he

can travel all over the earth (v. 7). Also, the devil has

thousands and thousands of demons (wicked angels) that serve

him and carry out his work. So even though Satan cannot be

everywhere at once, he has so many helpers, so that it almost

seems like he is everywhere in the world. Think of Santa at

Christmas time. There are so many people dressed up like

Santa in the different stores throughout the country that it

almost seems like Santa is everywhere. There are many people

who look like Santa and who are doing the work of Santa. The

same is true with Satan because of all of his helpers. Of

course, Satan is real and Santa is not.

2. Satan is not all knowing (OMNISCIENT).

The devil does not know everything. Only God knows

everything. In Job 1, Satan thought he knew why Job feared

God, but he was wrong. He does not know everything, but this

does not mean that Satan is stupid. He was created "full of

w_______________" (Ezekiel 28:12), and even though he fell

into sin, he is still very smart, clever, and intelligent. He is so

smart that he has tricked and fooled millions of people who

have believed his clever lies (John 8:44).

3. Satan is not all powerful (OMNIPOTENT).

Satan is very powerful, but he is not all powerful. Who is

greater than Satan in power (1 John 4:4)? ________________

In Revelation 12:7-9, we learn that Satan and his army fought

against Michael (another angel) and his army. Was Satan

powerful enough to win this battle? _____ (Note: Actually, this

battle has not yet taken place, even though it is described in

Revelation 12 as if it already took place. It will take place in

the future.) Are Satan’s darts powerful enough to destroy the

believer if the believer is wearing God’s armour and holding

God’s shield (Ephesians 6:16)? __________

Satan is not all powerful, but he is much more powerful than

we are. A little boy was asked, "What would you do if Satan

were to knock at your door?" The youngster had the right idea:

"I would send the Lord Jesus to the door!" God can handle the

devil! We cannot!

Two Extremes to Avoid

There are two extremes to be avoided in dealing with the

devil.

1) Over-emphasizing the devil

Some people emphasize the devil too much. They think about

him all the time. They see the devil's hand in everything that

happens. They talk about him all the time. They are all

wrapped up in Satan; but the believer in Christ needs to be all

wrapped up in God. We need to have our thoughts centered in

the Lord our God. We need to see God's hand in everything

that happens. We don't need to constantly be thinking about

the devil, because the God who lives in us is infinitely greater

than Satan (1 John 4:4).

2) Under-emphasizing the devil

We do need to recognize the reality of the devil and clearly

understand all that the Bible teaches us about this evil fallen

angel. We need to know our enemy and understand his

deceptions. We should not be ignorant of Satan and his

devices, but God should always be our main focus.

What Is Satan Doing Today?

Today Satan is very much alive, and he is very busy! Satan is

quite active on planet earth.

1. He is deceiving and tricking the nations (Revelation 20:3).

2. He blinds the minds of unbelievers and tries to keep

people from believing the gospel (2 Cor. 4:3-4, Luke

8:12).

3. He is like a roaring lion seeking to attack those whom he

can (I Peter 5:8).

4. He is the prince or ruler of this world. He rules in the

hearts of unsaved men and carries out his wicked program

in the world (John 16:11, John 12:31).

Satan Expelled From Heaven

Today, it appears that Satan is allowed to have some access to

heaven, as we learn by reading Job 1:6 and Job 2:1. However,

there will come a time when Satan will be forced to lose all

access to heaven. We read about this in Revelation 12:7-12.

Since the devil can no longer be near heaven, where must he

be (Revelation 12:9, 12)? ________________________

Read Revelation 12:12 carefully:

Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.

Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the

devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because

he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

Those in heaven say

, "Rejoice! Be glad! Let’s celebrate! The

devil is gone! He has been kicked out of heaven! HURRAY!"

Those on earth say,

"Woe unto us! This is bad news! The

devil has been cast down to earth and he is very angry. He has

been causing trouble on earth for thousands of years, but he is

really going to cause trouble now! HELP!"